A current Pakistani Army officer has launched a defamation lawsuit in a British court against retired Maj Adil Farooq Raja “for making bogus claims against him,” which has been characterised as an unprecedented measure.
In numerous videos and tweets posted to YouTube and Twitter, the former serviceman turned YouTuber accused the army official of manipulating the election and engaging in horse trading with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
In court records, it is stated that Major (retired) Adil Raja launched his campaign against Brigadier Rashid Naseer on June 14, 2022, when he claimed in a tweet that the ISI’s Sector Commander Punjab “had assumed entire control of the Lahore High Court” to rig the next elections.
Adil Raja claimed on June 19, 2022, that “supposedly ISI Sector Commander Punjab Brig Rashid Naseer met with Asif Ali Zardari multiple times while the latter was still staying in Lahore. Subjt: Elections Manipulation,” he wrote before posting a link to a YouTube video in which he made additional accusations.
Defamation proceedings against Mr. Raja, who has been living in self-imposed isolation in London since April 2022, reportedly began in August of last year, according to reports from the serving army officer. The officer refuted the claims and called for legal action against the YouTuber.
In April of last year, Mr. Raja travelled from Islamabad to London due to disagreements he had with the army. Since then, he has alleged a conspiracy to “regime change,” accusing much active-duty military personnel.
Following the publication of a vlog in which he discussed an alleged romance between former senior military officials and stars of the Pakistani entertainment sector, Mr. Raja recently came under heavy criticism. Even though Adil omitted the names of the actors, many users on Twitter assumed that he was referring to Mahira Khan, Kubra Khan, Mehwish Hayat, and Sajal.
